Extension foot for ladders



L. M. MILLER EXTENSION FOOT FOR LADDERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26.19;].

Patented 1m '13, 19 22.

Gwynne/q Lunvrc M. MILLER, or winnnoonnn, Wisconsin.

EXTENSION FOOT FDR, LADDERS.

1,419, 7&8.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 13, 1922.

Application filed March 26, 1921. Serial No. 455,788.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lunvio M. MILLER, a citizen of the "United States,residing at VVinneconne, in the county of Winnebago, State of Wisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Extension Feet forLadders, of which the following is a specification.

The invention that forms the subject matter of this application relatesto an extension foot for ladders, or other articles of manufacture wherea support or leg has or may be provided with an extension that isadjustable so that one or more members may be adjusted to maintain apart thereof in a horizontal position when the support is placed upon anuneven surface.

Primarily the'object of my invention is to provide the stile of a ladderwith an adjustable extension member that is slidable upon the stile saidmember being held either in movable or ,in locked engagement with thestile, by retaining and locking means secured to the stile.

A further object of the invention is to provide the stile of a ladderwith an ex tension member having a foot that serves to reinforce saidmember, the foot being constructed to maintain a pad, which can beattached thereto when desired.

My invention consists inthe arrangement and constructionof parts whereinthe stile of a ladder is provided with an extension member that isslidably attached to the stile said extension member being provided witha longitudinal slot and with perforations adjacent to the slot, thestile being provided on its outer side with a washer-plate and carryinga bolt, the head of which is constructed to'overlie the edge portions ofthe extension member adjacent to the slot and being provided withparallel sides, a flat top and a downward and inward inclined face, towhich head is pivoted a lever having a spring for engagement with eitherthe upper face ofthe bolt or with its inclined face, to maintain theleverlock substantially horizontal or projecting outward from the stile,or with its inner face parallel with the outer face of the slide sothatdetents on the inner edges of the lever will engage with theperforations through the extension slide, as will be-set forth in theclaims.

The invention further consists in the combination of an extension slidehaving longitudinal perforations therethrough of a look ing member thatis carried by the stile, said locking member having detents or teeth located to project from the side members be low the fulcrum thereof,whereby the parts The accompanying drawings illustrate the inventionapplied to one of the stiles or side pieces of a ladder and if desiredthe same structure may be. applied to both stiles,"

and when only one extension member is used, a foot as shown may beattached to the other stile.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment ofmy invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a ladderhaving an extension.

foot, constructed in accord with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 isa view looking edgewise at the stile and extension foot. Fig. 3'is aview looking toward the inner side of one of the stiles to whichextension foot is attached. Fig.4 is a view looking downward. Fig. 5 isa vertical section, and Figures 6 and 7 are detail views.

The drawings show a portion of a ladder which is of conventional form towhich an extension foot made in accord with my invention is attached,the stile l of the ladder being provided with steps or rungs 2. Thelower portion of the leg or stile has attached thereto a washer plate 3,which is secured to the outer face of the stile said plate havingtherethrough parallel and longitudinally disposed sets of perforationsbetween which is a rectangular opening of a size to receive the squaredportion 40f a bolt 5 having a head 6. The head 6 of the bolt 5 has aninclined outer face, a horizontal upper face and vertical sides, thehead being provided.

' with an opening to receive a fulcrum pin for associating a lever-lockwith the bolt and the stile of the ladder. The inner face of the head ofthe bolt has an off-set 7 that engages the washer plate 3 immediatelyabove and below the rectanglar opening therethrough and the width of thehead is such as to overlie the edges ofthe extension member adjacent toa longitudinal slot formed 'therethr'ough. The stile 1 below the slotsin the washer plate is recessed to pro vide ample space for the detentsof a locking lever which is fulcrumed upon the head 6.

The'locking lever 8 has parallel sides 9 which are connected by atransverse portion 10 to which is attached a spring 11, by means of arivet. The spring 11 is of such length and shape that it extends beyondthe transverse portion 10 of the locking lever, the free end of thespring being adapted to engage with the inclined outer face of the heador h1g6 of the bolt to move the detents 13 of the lever into holdingposition, or to engage with the upper horizontal face of the head tohold the lever in a horizontal position, substantially at right anglestothe stile, from which position it may be moved by foot pressure. Theparallel sides of the lever 8 are each shaped to provide a plurality ofdetents 13 with inclined or curved outer ends the inclined or curvedportions extending from the outer ends of the detents inward anddownward, to provide means whereby the stile may be moved upward withoutcarrying with it the extension member.

The extension member 14 is preferably made of sheet metal, the outerside portion having therethrough a slot 15 the side edges of the slotbeing separated by a space which is equal to a little more than thewidth of the part 7 of the bolt and less than the width of the head 6,and parallel with the sides of the slot are apertures or perforations 16that are spaced apart and are of a size to register with the detents 13that project from the sides of the lever 10. The sides of the extensionmember 14-, overlie the sides of the stile and are provided adjacent totheir lower ends with perforations for bolts which connect to theextension member a foot piece, and the upper portion of the extensionhas its sides extended and bent to provide portions or flanges 15, 15which will overlie the inner face of the stile to admit of movement ofthe extension member beyond the lower rung of the ladder.

The side portions of the extension member 14 adjacent to its lower endhas secured thereto, by means of bolts, a foot piece 17 made from a flatbar of metal which whenv bent into shape has spaced apart end portionsthat. are apertured to receive bolts for securing the same to theextension member. The foot piece is bent upon itself to provide outwardand downward extending projecting portions that are connected by acrossbar. that extends below the lower end of the extension member. Foroutside use the 'diverging ends of the foot piece will rest upon theground, and for inside use a suitable pad 18 may be attachedto the crossbar by a bolt.

In use, when the locking lever is positioned as shown by Fig. 2, thestile and the extension piece may be moved to provide for adj ustmentand during such movement the locking lever will swing upon its fulcrum,but as soon as the weight of the stile comes upon the lever its detentswill enter the perforations to hold the extension member in lockedengagement with the stile.

If desired the locking lever may be moved manually to a substantiallyhorizontal position, and when so positioned and'held by its spring itcan betripped or moved downward by foot pressure, and it will be notedthat when the lever is in a horizontal position the extension memberwill beslidable in both directions upon the stile.

The construction of the parts may be va-- ricd from the preferred formillustrated by the accompanying drawings, and modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in theclaims.

I claim.

1. In combination with the stile of a lad-- der, of a sheet metalextension plate having a longitudinal slot anditwo sets of alinedperforations which are located on'opposite sides of the slot, a levercatch maintaining bolt'attached to the stile and provided with a portionadapted to be positioned between the side walls of the slot and alsowith aportion which overlies the extension'plate between the edges ofthe slot and the two sets of alined perforations, a lever catch pivotedto the bolt, said'catch having side portions each with detents ofgreater length than the thickness of the extension plate which detentsare positioned to enter the two sets of alined perforations.

2. In an extension foot for ladders, a member maintained in slidableengagement with a stile, said member having there'- through a centrallylocated longitudinal aperture and adjacent thereto twosets of alinedperforations, a bolt attached to the stile. a lever fulcrumed' to thebolt to depend therefrom and provided on opposite sides with detent's, aspring for moving the lever to place its detents in the" perforationsthrough the slidable member, said spring also serving to hold the detentlever in an inoperative position when moved to .a laterally extendingposition so that said spring engages a different-face of the bolt. 3.Anattachment for ladders,-comprising an extension member providedcentrally ,with a longitudinally extending slot and with two sets ofalined apertures located parallel withand adjacent to the'sides of theslot, a bolt which is fixedly attached'tothe stile and is provided witha head hav ing different surfaces with which 'a spring may engage, adetent lever having side pertions with projecting detent's thesame'being curved on tl181r'lOWeIlI1I16I' ends, a pin for connecting thelever to the bolt, and a spring attached to the lever for engagementwith the different surfaces of the head of the bolt.

4:. An attachment for ladders comprising a slidable member that ismaintained in engagement with a stile thereof, a bolt at tached to thestile and provided with a head that overlies a portion of the slidablemem her and maintains the same against displacement from the stile, alever latch pivoted to the head of the bolt and having integral meansfor holding the slidable member against movement in one direction and aspring for holding the lever latch either in an operative or in aninoperative position.

5. In combination with a ladder, a sheet metal extension for a stilethereof, said extension being shaped to overlie the outer face of thestile and the sides thereof, and

having integral spaced apart flanges which overlie the inner face of thestile, a slot and two sets of alined perforations through the outer faceof the extension member, of a bolt attached to the stile of the ladderthe bolt having a head or lug with parallel sides, a downward and inwardinclined face and a horizontal upper portion, a lever maintained inpivotal engagement with the head of the bolt and provided with sideshaving detents which may enter and pass through the perforations aspring attached to the lever for engagement with the inclined face ofthe bolt and when in such engagement functioning to hold the lever sothat the detents will engage the extension member such spring alsoholding when in engagement with the upper face of the bolt the lever ina non-operative position.

LUDVIO M. MILLER.

